Top 10 Best Things to Do in Ajaccio, France [Ajaccio Travel Guide 2025]

The capital of the Kors Dusad has the happy knack of packaging all of the things that people adore about Corsica. You've got history, because Napoleon Bonaparte was born and baptized in the city, and his family donated lots of exciting memorabilia to the museums. There's cinematic natural scenery at Pointe de la Parada a few minutes from the city, or the mountains in the background covered with wild herbs, heather, and myrtle shrubs. Today we share the top 10 best things to do in Ayacho so you can plan a trip and experience all the exciting attractions and activities this beautiful city has to offer. Starting with number 10, Pointe de la Parada. On an island where stupendous natural spectacles are almost commonplace, Pointe de la Parada will still make you lost for words. This is a black granite promontory announcing the northern limit of the Bay of Ayacho, near the end of a stubborn string of rocky apexes that continue offshore to create the Sanguineres Islands. The headland is capped with a Genoese watchtower, 55 meters above the water and built as part of a network to defend the coast against Barbary pirate attacks in the 16th century. Drive down to the restaurant, and from there you can take the walking trail to get a closer look at the tower or dip your feet in the transparent seas. At number 9 is the Route to Sanguineres. Pulling out from the south coast of Ayacho is a seaside route that leads to Pointe de la Parada. It incorporates the Corniche Jaxian, a raised, bending road that hugs the torturous contours of the rugged coast. It's all about the views, out to the Sanguineres Islands and over the best beaches in Ayacho, like Plage de Marinella. On the way is the Saint Antoine Cemetery where fated Corsican singer Tino Rossi was laid to rest. At number 8, Musée Fech. Ayacho's Museum of Fine Arts is named after Napoleon's uncle, Joseph Fech, who was Archbishop of Lyon. In the early 1800s, he founded this museum by donating his extravagant painting collection, and it constitutes one of the largest sets of Italian Baroque and Renaissance painting anywhere in France. Cosmi Tourat, Giovanni Bellini, Michelangelo, Veronese, Titian and Salvatore Rosa are just a few of the most famous artists featured. The Fech Museum is also where you can begin to track the history of the Bonaparte family, as there are around 700 works specific to the First and Second Empires and busts of the Bonaparte line. At number 7, Plage de Capo di Feno. There are more than 20 beaches in or near Ayacho, mostly lively corners with transparent, smooth waters and white sands. You may feel the urge to break from the crowd, and if so you can drive the 10 kilometers to the coast just north of Pointe de la Parada. Plage de Capo di Feno has a more savage beauty, with scrubland and forest, and a sandbar offshore causing breaks for surfers. It's not one for casual swimmers, but you can paddle in the wash and sunbathe on the pale sands. Bring friends and a blanket, and stay to the evening because the sunsets are unbeatable on this west-facing beach. At number 6 in our list, Place Foch. Next to the town hall is an elongated square ringed by impressive old palm trees. There's a familiar face to receive you, raised on a pedestal looking along the square to the port is a marble statue of Napoleon in the guise of a Roman consul, sculpted by the Italian Massimiliano Laberer. If you want to zip around Ayacho's sights and comfort you can catch the petit train at Place Foch. But maybe the best reason to stop is for the marches de producteurs de pays on Saturday mornings, when the sheep's cheese, cured meats, olives, and wine made and grown in the countryside near Corsica are laid out irresistibly on stalls on the square. At number 5, Ayacho Cathedral. Back on the trail of Napoleon, Ayacho Cathedral is the church where the emperor was baptized on July 21st, 1771. Not only that, but his mother Letizia started going into labor with him while attending the Mass of the Assumption on August 15th, 1769. The marble font in which he was baptized is just inside the entrance. Aside from its relation to Napoleon, the cathedral is a handsome if stern 16th-century mannerist building with ochre walls that are illuminated by the sunshine. At number 4, Plage d'Argent. At the port in Ayacho, you can board a speedboat that will whisk you to this paradisiacal beach south of the city. It's the quickest way to do it, taking you there as the crow flies in around 20 minutes instead of an hour-long car trip on twisting mountain roads. You'll know why you made the effort when you set foot on the ribbon of flawless white sands that curls around the shallow bay for more than a kilometer. The sea is as clear as glass and is still at knee height 10 meters from the shore. At number 3 in our list, Lac d'Itala. Found 30 kilometers inland from Ayacho, Lac d'Itala is an artificial lake created in the 1950s by an EDF dam. There are 5 square kilometers of cool water in a bowl of mountains with chestnut, walnut, home oak, and pine trees on their slopes. There are campsites around the shore, and a marina and summer-renting pedalos, canoes, and paddleboards. Itala can also be your trailhead for a hike into the Prunelli Gorge, where there are sheer cliffs and glistening rock pools at the foot of cascades. At number 2, Maison Bonaparte. Napoleon's birthplace is one of those attractions that is more about the significance of the place rather than what is there. Really, all you need to know is that you're inspecting the home in which an epic maker was born on August 15th, 1769. The house has been decorated with Bonaparte family furniture, even if you have to use your imagination to picture what it would have been like in the 18th century. The first Bonaparte to live at this understated four-story house was Napoleon's great-great-grandfather in the late 17th century, and the building remained in the family's hands until 1923. Check out the number one places in our list, Acupulata. Turtles and tortoises from five continents live in this sanctuary and research center 20 kilometers northeast of Ayacho. There are 3,000 animals in all, from 170 species, and the Corsican climate and carefully configured tanks and enclosures at the two-hectare park allow them to flourish. The turtle hatchery and nursery is sure to make you smile. If you come on the right day, you can see a baby turtle breaking out of its egg. Passing from Galapagos tortoises to diminutive European Ponderopins, it's food for thought to see how these animals have evolved in different parts of the world. Now it's time to hear from you what's your favorite things to do in Ayacho. Is there something we missed? Let us know in the comments section below, and don't forget to give this video a like and subscribe to Greenable if you haven't already. Click the bell icon to stay updated on all our latest content.